Gear Review: Gerber Center-Drive Multi-Tool

Gerber’s Center Drive multi-tool may be one of many in the highly competitive multi-tool market, but its name clearly tells you what its key design feature is. Gerber have gone all out with the capabilities of the built-in screwdriver bit holder, along with considering the ergonomics when using a screwdriver which has a multi-tool as the handle. So Gerber aligned the axis of the bit holder to be as close to the centre line of the tool as possible. The Center-Drive tool also includes a larger than normal knife blade, powerful sprung pliers with replaceable wire cutters plus even more.

A few more details:

We’ll be taking a good look round this tool, first what is in the box, then focusing on the headline feature before taking in the rest of it.

What’s in the box?:

A quality pouch is provided.

The bits are standard 1/4" Hex fitting.

The pouch has an embroidered logo.

Usable as a belt pouch or MOLLE mount.

Separate compartments for the tool and bits keeps things neat.

Tool and bits both fitted in the pouch does make it a bit thicker.

Beware the black finish (as is typical) initially comes off enough to make things dirty.

The driver in the Center Drive:

The 'centre' in Gerber Center-Drive.

That long bit holder folds in neatly.

The Center-Drive's bit holder gives more reach than other multi-tools.

A liner-lock style lock secures the bit holder in the open position.

Though centred in one axis, the bit holder does sit slightly to one side.

It takes standard 1/4" Hex bits.

A magnet holds the bits in place.

A small friction-ramp holds the bit holder in the closed position.

A good look round the Gerber Center Drive – Things to look out for:

With the featured functions of the bit driver and large knife blade, the Center Drive has an asymmetrical layout with one handle carrying these features on the outside, and the other handle having further tools folded into the inside; this gallery takes you around all of these.

Working our way round - the knife blade.

A longer than average blade for a multi-tool.

A liner-lock keeps the blade open.

This blade arrived with burrs left on. A quick strop and this was fixed.

A long and thin opening hole needs to be used with care.

With the pliers retracted the locking button sits low.

When the pliers are open the locking button clicks into place.

The pliers are sprung so the handles open themselves.

It has multi-purpose needle-nose pliers.

Rotatable and replaceable wire cutting jaw inserts are used.

These inserts have a wire trapping notch.

Jaw alignment is very good.

Inside one handle is a single bit holder.

The tool can have one bit here and one in the main bit holder.

The other handle has four other folding tools.

A plastic slider locks and unlocks these tools.

As you open each tool the sliding lock is pushed back.

Once fully open the lock slides back forwards to lock the tool in place.

First is an awl.

Then a multi-purpose prying tool / bottle opener.

The other side of the prying tool.

A double sided file.

Plus a serrated blade.

Even the edge bevels are black coated.

Here you can see the lock spring with the lock engaged.

And the lock released.

What it is like to use?

Having seen some less than positive comments about this tool, I felt the need to address these first before going into more on how I have been getting on with it. In particular I wanted to mention the often overlooked aspect that a multi-tool, by its very nature is a jack-of-all-trades and as such a-master-of-none. All tools have their limits and it is up to the user to apply appropriate force and use the tool in a reasonable way. Multi-tools will get you so far, and are a tool-kit in one package, they can’t do it all. In every job I’ve used the Center Drive for I’ve not been trying to push it to its limits; heavy jobs need dedicated tools. Use it appropriately and enjoy the benefits.

With that said, there is one design aspect you should be warned about. The knife blade has an opening hole for one-handed use, however there is a high likelihood you will cut yourself if you use it. In the sample on test, the knife blade has a good resistance to movement (which helps keep it closed) and this requires a certain amount of force to rotate the blade open. This amount of force pushes the thumb quite hard onto the side of the blade, so much so the cutting edge touches your skin. Initially I found small skin flaps forming on my thumb, then realised where they came from. Check the images I took from my Instagram posts on this in the gallery below an you will see what I mean.

Excellent reach and usability of the main bit holder.

Sprung jaws make this very easy to work with.

Watch that cutting edge when OHO!

Oh so useful to have around.

With all that out of the way we can look at what makes this tool particularly good. Personally, my main uses of a multi-tool, in order, are as a screwdriver, then the pliers, the file, pry-bar, awl, after which it depends on the tool, and as I carry a dedicated knife, using the multi-tool knife is generally only a last resort backup.

So my most frequent need will be for the screwdriver tool, and the Center Drive has an extended, centred, standard 1/4″ Hex bit-holder. That is something to take in and consider. No special bits are required, any 1/4″ Hex bits you have can be used. The first thing I did was pop a PZ2 (not supplied) into the bit holder as this is my number one bit type used. Multi-tool screwdrivers are often awkward to use as they are generally to one side or other and not that long; not so with the Center Drive. The extended bit holder make it so much easier to see the screw head, and access internal screws, or those near a corner. Clearly with a folding tool like this you can’t 100% centre the bit holder, but it is centred in relation to the widest part of the tool, and this makes it much easier to use. This is the best built-in multi-tool screwdriver I’ve used.

Onto my second most needed tool, the pliers. Since I first used sprung pliers (probably some jewellers pliers), it makes non-sprung pliers seem a pain to use, especially when manipulating the work piece. Having OTF pliers, the Center Drive is able to have sprung pliers (the unfolding type of multi-tool pliers typically have no spring), and thanks to the spring just become an extension of your hand, allowing you to focus completely on the work.

As you might expect from a multi-tool file, it is not that sharp, but it lets you take off those rough edges from softer materials and non-ferrous metals well enough.

One disappointment is the serrated knife blade, which, in this example, is blunt. The cutting edge has the same black coating as the blade, making it appear as if it never got a final sharpen.

The awl has no sharp cutting edge, so is really just a metal spike, useful for all sorts of little jobs. Next to this is one of the best prying tools I’ve seen on a multi-tool and will get into narrow gaps as well as being able to lift small nails.

All of this is no good if you don’t have it with you. The included pouch has two compartments, one for the set of bits, and one for the tool. Should you want to go lower profile, you can leave the full set of bits out (still having two in the tool itself) and the pouch slims down – belt or MOLLE mounted you’ll have it with you.

Review Summary

The views expressed in this summary table are from the point of view of the reviewer’s personal use. I am not a member of the armed forces and cannot comment on its use beyond a cutting tool or field/hunting knife.

Something that might be a ‘pro’ for one user can be a ‘con’ for another, so the comments are categorised based on my requirements. You should consider all points and if they could be beneficial to you.

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What doesn’t work so well for me
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One-Handed-Opening the main knife blade can cut you.
Serrated blade was blunt.

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